AN ex-immigration minister and Pennine MP stooped to ferment racial and religious divisions as part of a desperate attempt to change an election result, a court heard.

A specially-convened election court in Uppermill heard that MP Phil Woolas and his campaign team set out to “galvanise the white Sun vote” in Oldham East and Saddleworth against Liberal Democrat candidate Elwyn Watkins.

They decided to set out to “make the white folk angry” by depicting an alleged campaign by Muslims to “take Phil out” in a high-risk strategy described in their own words as “**** or bust”, it was alleged.

Mr Watkins has mounted a rare legal challenge to May’s General Election result which Mr Woolas won by just 103 votes following two recounts.

Mr Watkins aims to activate a rarely used clause in election laws to declare the result void and force a re-run.

Two High Court judges are considering the case – scheduled to last five days – sitting at Saddleworth Civic Hall in Uppermill.

Section 106 of the Representation of the People Act (1983) makes it an offence for anyone to publish “any false statement of fact in relation to the candidate’s personal character or conduct” in a bid to prevent them being elected “unless he can show that he had reasonable grounds for believing, and did believe, that statement to be true”.

Mr Watkins said two publications contained “numerous misleading and erroneous claims regarding my personal character and reputation, and that of my campaign”.

The last time an election result was challenged on the basis of corrupt practices was back in 1911 and was successful.